Simon has taken advantage of some fine weather and a gap in
workload to have another look at the state of the hull – particularly around
the bow. At first sight the damage seems to be confined to the bow doubler just
below the starboard hawspipe (Photo 1191).
The bottom edge of the doubler seems to curve upwards as it approaches
the stem, but looking from the front (Photo 1192) ...
...it is possible to ascertain
where the doubler bottom edge should run – in a fairly straight line. So I would guess
that at some point this area of the bow has been damaged, the protective Muntz
sheathing torn, allowing the dreaded Gribble Worms to start work all along that
bottom edge of the doubler – areas A, B and C (Photo 1193).
It would not
surprise me if that bottom edge is completely gone and only the damaged Munz
sheathing is maintaining the shape along A and B and towards C.
The important
question is how far this has affected the hull underneath the doubler? It is very difficult to get close enough to
the hull when the tide is out far enough to reveal the holes, but Simon is
going to have to devise some way of doing it – with a ladder clamped to the
hull and some sort of platform to sit on the mud. The only photo he has been
able to take from the canoe raises more questions than it answers (Photo 1194).
A proper dry-dock inspection may be necessary, but very expensive. Still,
having seen what has happened to poor old Ena, expensive is a relative term!
So, for the moment
at least, he can at least enjoy the benefits of life on board on the Medway
(Photo 1195).
David
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